Furnace



J. BELL.

SMELTING FURNACE.

(No Model.)

No. 253,259. Patented Feb. 7,1882.

rr/ M55555.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

JONATHAN BELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SMELTlNG-FURNAC E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 253,259, dated February '7, 1882. Application filed December 16, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JONATHAN BELL, of the city, county, and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Smelting or Ore-Reducing Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to that class of orere'ducing furnaces in which gas or hydrocarbon vapors are used asafuel; and the invention consists, first, in giving to the smelting-chamber a peculiar form, consisting of a cylinder whose diameter is greater than its height, and with spherical-shaped ends at the top and bottom, of about equal proportions, so that the smelting-chamber is substantially that of an oblate spheroid whose longer axis is in a horizontal position, around the interior of which chamber a double set of graduated inlets for the heat-producing gases is provided, situated at about one-third of the height of the chamber, as will hereinafter appear; and, second, the invention also consists in combining with said smelting-chamber an ore-roastin g chamber, situated above it, communicatin g with the stack and provided at its bottom with a slide-valve, and having hopper with valve or gate, in which the ore, in a pulverized or granulated state, is first subjected to heat from the smelting-chamber, and then permitted to drop into the smelt ing-chamber, as will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a smelting or reducing chamber of a furnace. Fig. 2 is a plan, taken through the center of Fig. l transversely.

At A is represented the chamber of a smelting-furnace, in the form of an oblate spheroid, or nearly so-that is, the cylindrical portion is of a greater diameter than the height, and the ends are sections of spheres, as shown-so that its exterior vertical height is a little less than its horizontal axis or diameter. This chamber is formed of fire-brick or of blocks of fire-clay as brick, molded into the proper shape, that when built into the form of a chamber, as represented in the drawings, the desired form of.

the smelting-chamber will be produced. The

as at O, for receiving the ore from a hopper,

as .at D, in and through which the pulverized or granulated ore is fed to the smelting-chamber, and in which the ore is roasted by the heat that ascends from the smelting-chamber through openings in the stack, as at E, formed by spaces in the fire-brick or wall that separates the stack from the said roasting-chamber.

In the stack is a damper, as at F, which is operated by a lever, as at G, that works in close proximity to an are, as at H, that is provided with holes, into which a pin may be inserted to hold the damper at any desired point to control the draft.

Around the smelting-chamber are mounted pipes or tubes, as at K, with branches K, leading into the wall of the chamber to conduct the gases that serve as fuel for heating the chamber and smelting the ore.

Two sets of the pipes are provided, so that the hydrocarbon gas may enter in the lower set of pipes, and a supply of hot air may be forced through the upper set of pipes to assist in a perfect combustion of the gases. Instead of these sets of pipes, a double flue, as at L, may be formed of metal, like a band, around the chamber, and the gases may be passed into and along the lower flue, and then pass into and through holes in the wall, as represented at h 71/ IF. In such a case the inlet-holes through the wall should be varied in size, those at or nearest the conduit to the flue being the smallest and those farthest from the said inlet being largest, to correspond to the variation of the pressure of the gas in the flue. In such a construction it will be preferable to have two ofsuch flues, one on each side, and therefore two conduits from the gas-generator, and then vary the sizes of the inlet-holes h h and 71. on the opposite sides of the chamber, as already described, and as represented in the drawings, the largest being at or near the terminus of the flue.

The ore-roasting chamber is furnished with a slide-valve at its bottom, as shown, and it is operated by a rack and lever, as at M and N, when a charge is to be dropped into the smelting-chamber. A pressure-gage, as at O, is

also attached upon the smelting-chamber to indicate the pressure of the gases in it, and so that explosions may thereby be prevented.

The hopper at D is provided with a checkvalve or gate, as at P, to prevent the flow of the ore to the roasting-chamber when a charge is dropped into the smelting-chamber, and said valve is attached to a rock-shaft, on one end of which is suspended a lever, as at R, with a weight on its lower end to'hold by its gravity the valve or gate in a vertical position, and to prevent the ore from sliding; down the hopper, but may be readily swung to one side to open the valve or gate when the roasting-chamber is ready to be filled.

At S is a peep-hole, as in ordinary furnaces, and at T and WV are tap-holes, and at X is a metal plate to close the bottom, all constructed as usual in furnaces or cupolas. In the use of such a furnace or smeltingchamber the ore is first pulverized to expose as much as possible all the impurities to the action of the heat in the roasting-chamber. A fire is formed in the smelting-chamber of coke or other suitable fuel, and when the chamber is sufliciently hot to ignite the gases from a generator which is described in another application for a patent already made the gas is then turned on and the roasting operation is cominenced, and after a time the charge is dropped into the smelting-chamber, and when melted is drawn off at the lower tap, the upper one being used to draw oft'theflux,&e., and another charge is made through the hopper at D, and after its roasting operation is performed it is dropped into the smelting-chamber, and thus the operation is repeated as long as desired, and by successive steps that make such an apparatus substantially a continuous smelting or reducing furnace.

The advantages incident to having the smelting chamber or furnace in the form of an ob late spheroid is, first, it acts on the reverberatory principle in confining the heat down upon the metal; second, it keeps the heat spread out over the thin surface, being exposed to the melting action; and, third, the air is better distributed along with the gas in the melting-chamber, and has a much greater heating effect.

I therefore claim- 1. In an ore reducing or smelting furnace, a smelting or heating chamber the interior of which is substantially that of an oblate spheroid provided around its interior with a double set of graduated inlets for the heat-producing gases, as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination, in a smelting-furnace, with the smelting-chamber, of the ore-roasting chamber above it communicating with the stack and provided at its bottom with a slidevalve, and having hopper with valve or gate, as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. In a smeltingfurnace, the combination, with the stack provided with damper and perforated wall, of the roasting-chamber, communicating through perforated wall with the stack and provided with cheek-valve at its bottom, as hereinbefore described.

4. The combination, with the chamber A,of the pipes or fines K L, for supplying the heatin g-gases encircling the chamber, and provided with lateral branches or inlets K h, &c., leading into the interior of the chamber, said inlet branches or flucs being graduated in size Witnesses:

EUGENE N. ELIOT, TI-Ios. A. CONNERY. 

